REPORT: Economy & Livelihoods Revival Meeting

On Tuesday, a number of us gathered at the Bicycle Shop to discuss the future of the Economy and Livelihoods theme group.

The main conclusion drawn was that education is the cornerstone to progress in this area, and that if more people know about all of the issues affecting them and how our economic system really works, then action will inevitably follow.

Suggestions on how this should be done were varied. Lectures, although effective, can be costly, and take a lot of organisation, whereas film showings could be done relatively cheaply, and without the tiresome heavy promotion of lectures, where a large audience is required to justify the cost. Other methods were to produce leaflets and to attend events of groups with a relevant interest, and to draw their attention to these issues, perhaps by manning a stall. Social media was also suggested as a great way of spreading news and sharing ideas.

On the subject of local currency, few of the attendees know enough about local currencies to be able to propose further action on this front. We are aware of NorLETS, but do not know how active it is. We also know that a bid by The Greenhouse to Esme Fairbairn for funding to run a local currency scheme was rejected. However, the group is still interested in the potential of complementary currencies and therefore those interested are invited to join the Economy and Livelihoods google group so that we can organise a meeting on this subject.

Some of the attendees volunteered to organise film-screening events, but to make an impact, the body of people getting involved needs to be higher, so if you can spare time to help organise or promote events, or simply share videos via social media, this will help to progress the transition to a more resilient economy. If you're looking for material to share, perhaps start with these:

- The Crash Course, a film about the economic crash(es), suggested by Bill Hill (see above)

- A talk/animation on the Failures of Capitalism, which has funny moments, as well as informative.

- Tim Jackson talks on the subject of prosperity in our economic climate.

-A talk on Timebanking, "Never do stuff for people which they can do for themselves", it says, and may persuade you to join NorLETS. Simeon Jackson